


Today Is A Good Day

by Aramirandme81



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Even arseholes have hearts, Family, Gen, Young Johnsons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-11 07:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s true that almost every day their parents had been together they would shout at each other.<br/>It’s true that almost every day someone would let their tempers get the better of them and fists and crockery would fly through the air.<br/>It’s true that almost every day doors could be heard slamming and someone would be in tears or close to it.</p>
<p>But only Almost every day was like that.<br/>Not all of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Today Is A Good Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elenhin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/gifts).



> For Elenhin. Sorry I completely forgot about the dogs. *G* Guess I'll just have to do another fic for you then. ;-)

Today is a good day

The sun is shining from a clear blue sky, the grass is green and succulent looking below their feet, above the birds are singing in the trees and around them spring is beginning to bloom spreading a feeling of hope and happiness all around.

It is in fact such a beautiful and perfect spring day that even an old cranky sailor like Johan Johnson can’t help but mellow and smile at his wife and children, even the scrawny one that looks nothing like him and who’s parentage he’s still rather doubtful of in his darker and moody moments. 

Yes today is such a good day that he and Elisabeth had been late at getting up, and it hadn’t been because they were sleeping either. Johan grins at the memory. As much as he likes the makeup sex they have, the sex they have when they remember what drove them to marry, other than Mike being on the way, is the very best. And it does remind him that yes he does love the woman even if she drives him absolutely nuts most days.

But not today, Johan reminds himself again. No today is a wonderful day and he’s in such a good mood after the epic start to the day, the sex and then when they did get up Mike had gotten his brothers up and made breakfast. 

Hell even Anders had been useful! The eight year old had been patiently feeding his youngest brother and managing what not even Elisabeth could to get all the food into Axl’s mouth and keep Axl clean enough that he wouldn’t need a bath and a change of clothes but a simple wiping of his face and hands would do. 

Ty, the broody little fucker, had been smiling and chatting happily all through breakfast and Johan had found him to not be the bit of a downer as he tended to be.

 

Yes, such a good day truly deserved to be shared and enjoyed to its fullest. Which was just what Johan had been planning on doing when he ordered the kids to get dressed while he made them a food basket: They were going to have a picnic.

 

And now hours later here they are, all of them walking down the trail through the forest heading for the picnic spot and having a good time all around. 

Mike is walking beside Johan and they talk about Mikes applications to join builders school.

Anders is quiet, and for once it’s not because he’s sullen or ill but merely because he’s enjoying the quiet in itself. He’s walking a bit behind the others and listening to the birds and other sounds of the forest with a soft smile on his face.

Ty is still a little ray of sunshine and chatting up a storm telling Elisabeth about his new kindergarten teacher who’s apparently the greatest thing since Transformers, which is Ty’s favourite cartoon show at the moment.

And Axl is sleeping in his baby harness carrier.

 

When they reach the picnic area a few minutes later they are pleasantly surprised to discover that despite the fantastic weather no one else is there and they have it all to them self.

 

Elisabeth finds a spot where the ground is mostly even and the grass is neither too tall nor wet from this morning’s dew which the sun is doing its best to make disappear where she spreads out a big and thickly padded blanket, and once it’s arranged to her satisfaction she settles down with a book and an eye on Axl who’s woken and playing happily with his stuffed bunny. Well gumming it mostly but to Axl that’s the same as love and play.

Mike has brought his ball and bat with him and it doesn’t take the boys long to mark out a playing field with sticks and get a friendly but still very competitive game going.

Mike is the naturally gifted one, excelling at all parts of the game and Johan feels his chest swell with fatherly pride as Mike makes yet another perfect hit.

He’s got to admit though that Ty is showing some real potential as he’s all but a blur when he dashes of after the ball, heck even the scrawny one has a keen eye and a surprisingly good hand at pitching.

But that could be the rather unique set of rules the boys are playing by that makes it seem like that.

Because it doesn’t take Johan long to spot more than a few re-writs of the common rules of the game, some of them rather creative and he can’t help but suspect that Anders well developed talent for alternative solutions has been at play ( the little demon could talk his way out of murder on his better days), but the result is that even with their physical differences they are all three fairly evenly matched in the game.   
Though if he’s understood the rules Mike is, naturally, still several points ahead Johan notes with satisfaction from where he’s leaning against a tree letting the sun warm him and observing the fun.

He’s just let closed his eyes for a few seconds when the call rings out: “Come play dad!” 

The call in itself is rare enough, and Johan will admit it’s mostly his own fault for never really being in the mood so the boys have mostly stopped asking, but for Ty to ask him... and with such enthusiasm too. 

“Come play dad.” Ty repeats smiling.

Johan is caught between joining and refusing on the grounds he doesn’t know the rules.

“I’ll explain the rules dad, it’s easy.” Anders supplies also with a smile on his face, both boys are a little flushed from all the running they’ve been doing.

“Alright.” Johan concedes and Ty gives a little whoop and dashes back to Mike while Anders quickly explains the rules. 

The rules are cleverly thought up and easy to follow and remember and Johan only flounders twice in the hour they end up playing before Elisabeth calls for them to go wash in the stream before they come eat.

Naturally someone has to be pushed into the water, they would not be Johnsons if they let that opportunity pass them by, but surprisingly it’s not Anders who’s the usual target of such pranks. But rather Mike who ends up in the stream when Ty and Anders team up with nothing more than a shared look to plan their strategy. 

The look on Mikes face is priceless and everyone laughs, even Axl though he laughs because the others are and not because he understands what’s happening.

The food is good and plentiful and Axl has squirmed out of Elisabeth’s arms and crawled, with a little help, over to claim a seat in Anders’ lap instead which no one minds since it means they are spared flying food this meal as well.

Once they are done eating and the few remains packed away Johan shakes the blanket of crumbs and spreads it out again. He and Elisabeth lies down side by side with Axl winking of for a nap between them as they lie looking at the few clouds that drift lazily by miles above and listen to the birds singing, the bussing of a few insects and the stream laughing along with Anders and Ty as they muck around on the banks of the shallow stream splashing each other and looking for tadpoles or something like that. 

Mike is keeping a watchful eye from where he too is lounging on a blanket in the sun, his cloths that got soaked in his plunge drying on the rocks beside him, and he’ll occasionally call out a warning to one of them or encourage an ‘attack’.

It’s blissfully peaceful and relaxing, and Johan find his eyelids getting rather heavy. 

 

Johan wakes to the rather unmanly sound of giggling coming from somewhere nearby.

He blinks his eyes open and finds his vision partly blocked and a strange blurry green.

“What the..?” He says and as he sits up making Axl give a delighted squeal as his movement sends the grass and other pits of plant he’s been covered in flying. 

Elisabeth smiles at him as he brushes the grass of his cloths.

“Axl’s found a new fondness for grass and he wanted to share it with you.” She says barely controlling her laughter as Johan finds the stuff has gotten in his hair as well. 

“So you let him burry me in the stuff?” Johan asks as he dusts of the last of it and scoops of Axl making him giggle and squeal in delight.

“Didn’t see the harm.” She confesses easily and turns another page in her book.

No, no harm only good old fashioned fun Johan agrees and get up taking Axl down to where his brothers are playing.

Axl happily making the sounds he has for them since he’s not really gotten along to talking yet, but as Elisabeth says he’s still very young and not every baby can be like Anders and basically be born in conversation. Or as Anders had countered with when he overheard her: ‘Of course Axl doesn’t talk yet, he’s much too busy stuffing his mouth full of food every chance he gets to discover that he can use it for talking.’

Johan will admit the runt has a point. Axl is rarely without a snack in hand or mouth, and the only time he really gives noise if not to squeal in delight at the sight of food, is if he’s hurting or calling for one of them to feed him. For which occasion he’s developed separate sounds for each of them.

These sounds prove as effective as always and his brothers instantly look up from what they are doing and look for him.

“Hey Axl, come to help us with our project?” Anders asks and Axl coos like a pigeon and reaches out for his brother.  
Johan has no qualms about handing Axl over to Anders when he holds his arms up questioningly. Anders might be a runt in Johan’s eyes, Ty’s almost overtaken him in height already, and Axl is a very big baby, but despite of this Johan knows Anders will not drop his brother. If for no other reason than because while Axl will be squirmy with both his parents and Mike, he’s more quiet with both Ty and Anders and even tend to get clingy with Anders. It’s a sure fire way to get Axl to calm down or go to sleep: give him to Anders and leave them alone for five minutes and Axl will be asleep, often Anders will be too much to their amusement.

And sure enough Axl nuzzles into Anders t-shit and grabs it with his small hands the second he’s in his arms. Anders just smiles and gives his brother a little squeeze as he carries him over to where Mike and Ty are working on building a stick and mud damn in the stream.

“We’re being beavers.” Mike says aiming for a longsuffering big brother tone, but fails miserably at hiding just how much he’s enjoying playing with his brothers.

“Because beavers are natures engineers and builders and Mike is going to be a builder.” Ty explains and slaps more mud on the quite frankly very well done little dam they are building.

“Oooooohhh!” Axl coos in excitement as he sees the mud.

“Oh-o.” Anders says and looks up at dad. Axl is very, very good at getting dirty and mum and dad don’t really like that.

Johan bend down and sticks his hand in the stream, it’s a very shallow one so the water isn’t cold, in fact it’s almost lukewarm and the bottom is soft sand, the mud the boys are using coming from the banks of the stream and not the stream itself. 

“He can play, just keep a good eye on him and make sure he doesn’t eat anything. I’ll go tell your mother I said you could.” He assures the boys and as they all beam at him he can’t resist the impulse to ruffle their hair making a slight game of it when laughter breaks out at Anders indignant squawk as his longish curls end up in his eyes and he can’t defend himself because he’s holding Axl.

He helps undress Axl down to his cloth nappy and takes the rest of his cloths back to the blanket knowing the boys will look after each other. They are pains in his arse most of the time but they are good boys when it comes to something like that. 

Elisabeth merely raises an eyebrow when he comes back one son short, but she takes his word for it being fine and only says he’s the one getting Axl to put on cloths again, Axl has a bit of a thing with not wanting to wear cloths and Elisabeth swears he’s going to be the most stubborn of all her boys.

Once the boys have finished the damn, despite getting Axl’s ‘help’, and Johan has gotten Axl changed, dried and dressed again, Elisabeth suggests they go hunt up some more sticks and such and they make a fire, since she’s brought sausages and dough for campfire bread.

If the boys were even half as quick or effective about their chores as they are about getting wood for the fire they would be living in the cleanest most orderly house in the country.

 

Mikes is predictably blackened on the outside and raw on the inside but he claims that’s how it’s supposed to be with these things and eats it with a happily resigned expression. 

Elisabeth claims to have her hands full with Axl so she’s gotten Ty and Anders to help her make hers and Axl’s since both of the boys can show of almost perfectly cooked golden brown breads and piping hot delicious looking sausages. The little devils have divided the task between them which means Ty’s the one turning the breads and Anders the meat, and like always the make a good team when they put their minds to something. 

Johan looks at his own result, and though it’s much better than Mikes he’s still tempted to have the boys do his as well. He’s got just a little too much pride to ask though.

But luckily the boys offer by them self and who is he to refuse them if it gives them pleasure?

Even Mike, with his stubborn teenage and oldest sibling, and both Johan and Elisabeth think budding Godly, pride gives in sits back and let the others do the work. 

They pay for this service by telling stories and Johan sings them one or two of the cleaner sailors ditties he knows, Elisabeth joining him on the chorus on an old Nordic one about coming home from Viking to the open arms of his lover. 

They do it so well that not even Anders make gagging noises at the slightly lovey-dovey ending.

 

It’s rather late when they pack up to head back to the car and home. 

Axl is firmly asleep in his carrier on Elisabeth’s front. 

Ty yawns so mightily and almost stumble that Mike offers to give him a ride on his shoulders to the car which he gratefully accepts.

They walk along and Johan catches Anders looking longingly at Mike and Ty but he says nothing and only walks on beside Johan even if he is just as tired as both his younger brothers he’s not going to say a thing about it even as he battles a yawn of his own so big he nearly stumbles he’s so distracted.

Johan smiles, he might be a runt but he’s got that stubborn fighting spirit of a god and a Johnson one in particular. 

“You are a bit old for shoulder rides.” He remarks and Anders looks up at him with startled eyes.

“But I don’t think you are too old for a piggyback ride just yet.” Johan continues and get’s down so Anders can climb up. He needs a second nod to confirm it’s alright before he does though.

Anders is a light but solid and warm weight on his back as he gets up and continues after the rest of his family. 

 

Today was a good day.

Today Johan did not miss the ocean.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve done angst, drama, Christmas, Halloween, bombs, guns, knives, blood, illness, fights and hospitals ... I felt the need and want for something that’s just: Nice.   
> I truly hope it works.  
> Plz comment and let me know.


End file.
